1. Field
Exemplary embodiments of the invention relate to an exposure apparatus. More particularly, exemplary embodiments of the invention relate to an exposure apparatus using a light condensing part.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a manufacturing process for a substrate, a size of the substrate increases for reducing a manufacturing cost. As the size of the substrate increases, the manufacturing machine or equipment also gets larger. Especially, a mask for patterning the substrate may be enlarged.
The enlargement of the mask greatly increases the manufacturing cost for the mask. The total manufacturing cost for the substrate may be undesirably increased due to the increasing cost for the mask. In order to reduce the total manufacturing cost, a number of alternatives are being explored. For example, a number of small masks instead of one large mask may be used in patterning the substrate.
In the exposing process using the small masks, a manufacturing cost for the masks is reduced and normal non-enlarged photo-lithography equipment is also used without significantly changing the manufacturing process. With a minimal change in the process, the total manufacturing cost may be greatly reduced.
A small mask exposure process uses a plurality of masks. In the equipment used in the exposure process, a light source head and the masks are fixed, and a constant gap between a glass substrate and the masks is maintained. The glass substrate is scanned and exposed by using the masks. Thus, the basic process of the small masks exposure process is substantially the same as a normal exposure process. However, the scan process is slightly changed in areas of fixing the glass substrate and moving the glass substrate.
However, when a pattern is formed on the substrate by using the small masks, light irradiated onto the substrate may not sufficiently reach an edge area of the pattern and a reduced amount of the light is provided compared to that of the remainder of the pattern. Thus, the pattern formed by using the small masks may be formed irregularly and the size of a contact hole disposed in the edge area of the pattern may be distorted, which may reduce the performance of the substrate.
The irregularly exposed edge area of the pattern may be disposed outside an exposure area of the substrate in order to reduce such exposure distortion. However, when the irregularly exposed edge area of the pattern is disposed outside the exposure area of the substrate, a total size of a periphery around the exposure area, e.g., a bezel, in the substrate is also greatly increased. An increased bezel may undesirably result in difficulty in designing a product using the substrate.